Firearm



- May 17; 1927,

A. NELSON FIREARM Filed Feb. 4. 1921 Patented May 17, 1927.

CHARLES A. NELSON, OF UTICA, NEW YORK, ASSIG-NOR TO SAVAGE ARMS CORPORA- TION, 0F UTICA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF DELAHARE.

FIREARM.

Application filed February 4, 1921. Serial No. 442,387.

The invention relatesto the frame con struction of firearms and especially to the frames of side-lever action rifles; it consists in features of structural design and arrangement of parts adapting such arms to be produced at low 'cost and of light weight and superior efficiency and durability as will appear below.

In the accompanying single sheet of drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a sidelever act-ion rifle incorporating the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the breech structure thereof partlyvin section.

Fig. 3 is a perspective of the body member of the frame thereof;

Fig. 4 is a perspective of the frame recoil transmitting member;

Fig. 5 is the tang, and

Figs. 6 and 7 two other frame members, all for attachment to the body member of Fig. 3'

Figs. 8 and 9 are plan and elevation of the frame member of Fig. 4.

And Figs. 10 and 11 show respectively the front end of the. wooden gunstock and the rear end of the forestock.

The frame or receiver of the arm is fixed.

to the forward end of the wooden stock 2 in the 'usualposition, and according to this invention consists of a main part or body member 1 with certain separately made fixture members applied'to it as presently described. The barrel 3, as usual, is detachably secured in the front end of the frame while the cylindrical breech-bolt 4 is mounted to slide and rotate in the latter and may be assumed to be like that of thecommon side-lever action rifle and to contain the usual firing pin and firing springgits-sidelever 5 seats bet-ween the customary lugs {6 and 7 .on the framev when the gun is ready for firing and is turned up. and pulledxto the rear through the slot 8.to open the gun. Trigger and safety mechanisms are disposed at the rear of the framein substantially the usual position and the reloading mechanism, if any, opens to a cartridge passage in the frame below the bolt as represented by the box magazine casing 9 thatisheld quired to house the breech bolt and hold itslightly larger than the diameter of the" chambered end of the barrel to which it'is adapted :to be attached and although it is recessed to accommodate the bolt and cartridges as usual, it has no integral outward projections on it such as would require it to-be'fabricated out of a piece of metal of greater diameter than itself. On" this account this body member can be ma'nu-fac tured out of a section of bar stock of appropriate diameterby simple lathe and millingwork and with minimum of waste by removal of metal. The surface which cir cumscribes the body member is cylindrical, or at least circular in cross section, although it might be polygonal and such a piece can be very largely made in 'so-called automatic machine tools with economy and rapidity. The body part thus constructed is held to the Wooden stock against the firing recoil by a separately made frame member 10 that is rigidly and permanently secured to the body of the frame. Its principal purpose is to provide on the body a rearwardlyfacing-thrust surface adaptedto bear against the-stock in-the direction of'the recoil, and of amplestiffness-and thrust area to take safely the severe recoil shocks of-high power rifles,

and itmay also serve other purposes as will later appear. This frame or recoil transmittmg member LID-comprises a transverse plate portion conforming to the contour of the -gun and lying'laterally across the whole of the end surface of the stock and having an extended contact thereon. An integral bushing (Figs. 3 and 4) formed at right angles to the plate portion screws on, the frame body so as to form a long joint. between the plate and, the frame body concentric with the axis of the latter; a con-' c'entric joint at this point provides ample strength to transmit the recoil and" it is preferable that the joint be made with the bushing entering the body as shown, rather than by screwing it over the body. The bushmg is internally threaded to receivethe gun barrel and so that when the parts are essembled, the frame member 1 0.is directly Ward end of the frame and the rearwardly facing transverse shoulder of the barrel which is just forward of the barrel threads. The rear face of the transverse plate of the member 10 is vertically recessed to its bottom at 12 to fit over and interlock with a tenoif 11 left on the end of'the stock to prevent its movement on the stock and a key-seat 13 on its front face (to-operates with a key-seat 14: in the bottom of the barrel in receiving key 15*" on the rear end of the removable forestock 15 to prevent turning of the barrel when the gun is assembled. To hold the forestock in position a tenon 16.011; its rear ends "seats in an aperture 1'? in the plate and a common catch 18 engages the usual barrel lug (not shown) the tenon 16 is formed on a metal plate screwed to the end of the forestock and such plate serves to confine the key 15 in posi tion.

A single screw 25 entering a hole 26 in the forward end of the frame body 1 secures the frame to the stock and also holds the trigger guard in place; obviously other means may be employed for the same purpose.

The tang 21 which supports the sliding thumb-piece of the safety mechanism, is also a separately formed part of the frame and its upper end is curved or shaped to fit the contour of the bottom of the body and also perforated as shown in the drawings. This end of the tang is riveted to the body of the frame by the reduced upper end of a post 28 which supports the safety-bar 27 and serves as additional attachment of the frame to the stock,the screw 241E being pro vided for this purpose. The safety bar 27 just referred to, extends forward from the thumb piece, being pivoted to slide and rock in the post 23, so that its forwardend may lock and unlock the bolt and firing mechanism as described in a co-pending application, Serial No. 116,227. The rear end of the frame is sloped at 22 corresponding to the slope of the stock grip into which it extends, and the slope is carried out by the applied tang as the latter extends farther into the grip. The firing mechanism support 31 is also made separately and also conforms to the contour of the bottom of the body to which itis fastened by bolts passing through flanges on its upper end; the firing mechanism in general comprises a sear 28 set in a suitable recess in the bottom of the frame body to engage and release the tiring pin in the bolt under the control of the trigger 29; both scar and trigger are held to the frame by a spring pressed plunger 30 carried by the member 31. Iprefer such safety and firing mechanism on accountof their compactness and simplicity but obviously other forms may be substituted for those shown by suitably altering the frame members to accommodate them.

The slot or recess'12 in the recoil member 10 being open at the bottom, it will be noted that the frame is applied to the stock by a straight downward movement that slips the recoil member over the stock tenon 11 and the post 23 and firing mechanism support 31; and tang 21 directly into their respective recesses in the stock; the addition of the screw 25 then holds it in place assisted by the screw 24, and a tang screw holds the tang flush with the wood.

The gun is then assembled by screwing the barrel into the recoil member 10 until the key-seat 14: on its underside registers with the key-seat 13 of the recoil transmitting frame member 10. The forestock is then applied with its tenon 16 in the hole 17 in the recoil member and with the key 15 in the key-seat to lock the barrel against such rotation as would release it from the frame; the catch 18 then locks the forestock in position in the usual way.

It will be observed that the gun frame above described comprising the body and its attached lateral projections 10, 21 and 31, possesses all of the essential qualifications as to shape and strength to adapt it to the several functions it has to perform, and that the said body and its attached members can be separately made and assembled with less waste of material and less labor than the one piece gun framesof similar shape or purpose and which are commonly produced by forging and subsequent milling. Being necessarily of irregular shape such one piece forgings are very difficult to manufacture and require much elaborate machining which is largely, hand work, whereas the built-up frame constituting this invention can be produced almost entirely by automatic machinery of simple and common design. It may be observed also that the particular quality of the new gun frame which adapts it to this economic mode of manufacture is that the surface which circumscribes it, is the surface of a cylinder or prism, and is symmetrically and equidistantly located about the axis of the gun barrel, and spaced from such axis by a distance no greater than will afford sufficient wall thickness surrounding the bolt to carry safely the strain of use. Such necessary thickness will sufiice also for the secure attachment of the lateral recoil transmitting member lO, so that the latter willfconstitute the structural equivalent of an integral projection on the body but it will of course be obvious that the advantage of automatic manufacture as above design in which the body is substantially cyf lindrical or prismatic, that is to say is of generally the same diameter from end to end and has no integral portion projecting outwardly therefrom to any considerable extent.

Claims:

1. A firearm having a stock, a barrel, a frame body, and a separately made recoiltransmitting member connected to the frame body by a long joint extending in the direction of the body axis, said long joint being provided by a projecting bushing on the recoil-transmitting member.

2. A firearm comprising a stock, a barrel, a frame body, and a separately made recoiltransmitting member thrusting against the stock and directly threaded to the barrel.

3. A firearm comprising a stock, a barrel, a frame body, and a separately made recoiltransmitting member comprising an exter- I nally threaded bushing entered into the frame body and a transverse plate portion engaging the stock.

4. A firearm comprising a stock, a frame body, a separately made member permanently attached to the forward end of the frame body and transmitting the recoil to the stock, and a barrel directly aflixed to the recoil member.

5. A firearm comprising a stock, a frame body, a separately made recoil-transmitting member threaded on the forward end of the frame body and extending laterally across the forward end of the stock, anda barrel seated in the recoil-transmitting member.

6. A firearm comprising a stock, a barrel, a frame body, an applied recoil-transmitting member extending laterally from the frame body and interlocked with the stock, the barrel and applied member being provided withco-operating key-seats, and a forestock provided with a key to seat in said key-seats.

7 A firearm having a stock, and a frame thereon comprising a body having a substantially circular circumscribing surface from end to end, a separately made recoiltransmitting member permanently affixed to the body and thrusting against the stock in the direction of the recoil, and a separately made tang affixed to the rear of the body.

8. A firearm comprising a stock, a frame thereon having a rear curved lower surface, and a separately made tang, curved on its upper face to correspond to said curved lower surface and afiixed thereto and carrying a gun safety device.

9. A firearm comprising a stock, a frame thereonhaving a curved bottom, and a separately made mechanism-supporting fixture having its upper face curved to correspond to the curve of said bottom and aflixed thereto.

10. A firearm comprising a stock, having a forwardly extending tenon, a barrel, a frame body the maximum transverse dimension of which is substantially equal to the diameter of the chambered end of thebarrel and a separately made recoil-transmitting member rigidly fixed to the frame body and having a transverse plate portion lying across the stock and a vertical recess in the plate portion open at the bottom to fit over the tenon.

' 11. A firearm comprising a stock, having a forwardly extending tenon, a barrel, a frame body, a separately made recoil-transmitting member rigidly fixed to the frame body and having a transverse plate portion lying across the stock and a vertical recess in the plate portion open at the bottom to fit over the tenon, and a vertical screw holding the frame to the stock.

12. A firearm comprising a stock, a barrel, a frame body the maxium transverse dimension of which is substantially equal to the diameter of the chambered end of the barrel, a separately made recoil-transmitting member permanently fixed to the forward end of the frame body, a separately made tang fixed to the rear end of said body, a separately made mechanism member fixed to the body intermediate the recoil-transmitting member and the tang, and firing mechanism supported by the last mentioned member.

13. A firearm having a stock, a frame body thereon having a substantially circular circumscribing surface from end to end, a separately made recoil-transmitting member permanently afiixed to the body and thrusting against the stock in the direction of the recoil, and a separately made tang and sepa rately made firing mechanism support,"the last mentioned two members having their supporting ends curved to fit'and affixed to the under side of the frame body.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

CHARLES A. NELSON. 

